You’ve clear everything out of your desk, you’ve said goodbye to your colleagues and friends, now all that is left if the exit interview. Most people think that exit interview aren’t a big deal, and they don’t take them seriously. But, think again before you decide to rush through an exit interview.

Final impressions are long lasting impressions. Rushing through an exit interview with careless answers or treating it as our own personal venting session can have some heavy repercussions. Maintain your dignity (and make the company sad about the employee that it’s losing) by doing these simple things:

Prepare:
Are you worried about getting tongue-tied or mumbling something that you’ll regret later? Then spend some time before the interview to think about issues that would usually some up during an exit interview.

Be prepared to articulate the following issues:

• Your reasons for leaving the company
• Your level of satisfaction with the managers, your co-workers, the companies culture, your compensation/benefits and the opportunities they gave you for some new career development
• Things about your new company that helped you to make the decision to leave the job

Mention Some Positives:
From a manager who went way out of his way to try and be helpful, chances are that there is someone or something in the company that is worthy of some of your praise. The exit interview is a great time to give recognition. Saying things that that will show that you have thoughtfully contemplated your experience with the employer, and the feedback is very valuable to the company in determining what it is doing right, and what isn’t up to a great standard.

Present The Negatives With Extreme Care:
Some of the departing employees view the exit interview as their one and only chance to sound off to ”the man”. Before you present your laundry list of complaints, remember that the exit interview is information that is not always going to be kept confidential.

A good idea is to offer criticism on just a few key topics. ”Avoid generalities such as ‘I can’t stand my boss” or ‘My co-workers are annoying,”’ says Quast. ‘Instead use professionalism and respect to provide specifics, such as ‘I find it difficult working for a manager who does not create agendas with objectives for meeting because it makes me nervous not knowing how I should prepare’ or ‘I find it difficult trying to complete my work each day because I have a cubicle that is seated right next to the call center, and I can’t focus with the phones ringing all the time.”’

Keep Your Emotions In Check:
Want to scream about the promotion that you should have gotten? While it may feel like a good idea to get this all off your chest, the chances are that you actions are being directed to the wrong person, and at the wrong time.